


Not Incomplete

by helloearthlings



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Canon Era, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 17:49:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11583144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloearthlings/pseuds/helloearthlings
Summary: Arthur glared when he saw himself come into his room.“Turn back,” he croaked, burying his face in one of his many pillows. “It’s unnatural, is what that is.”Arthur heard his own voice laugh at his despair – God, that was annoying – before he heard Merlin say, in his own voice, “You’re very touchy about this.”





	Not Incomplete

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don't know where this came from? I wanted to write fic and actually plotted out a huge long one, but I somehow doubt I'll write a full version of it. I actually wrote a couple of original pieces this week, which was weird for me, especially since they were weirdly personal? In one of them, I essentially drag everyone I know, and in another, I specifically drag certain people, so I feel awkward showing them to anyone.
> 
> Anyway, this is just weird fluff that I wrote in 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Arthur glared when he saw himself come into his room.

“Turn back,” he croaked, burying his face in one of his many pillows. “It’s unnatural, is what that is.”

Arthur heard his own voice laugh at his despair –God, that was annoying – before he heard Merlin say, in his own voice, “You’re very touchy about this.”

Arthur poked his head out to blessedly see Merlin, his ordinary face alight with laughter and not looking like an exact copy of Arthur, smirking at him. Although, he was still wearing Arthur’s clothes, which hung off in an odd way that Arthur was actually rather charmed by.

“That’s because it’s very strange,” Arthur grumbled as Merlin sat on the edge of his bed, reaching out to smooth Arthur’s hair that was stuck to his forehead from the sweat. Arthur kept alternating between shivering and sweating. Gaius was sure that the illness would pass on its own, but it had been five days and Arthur hadn’t noticed any improvement.

Yesterday, he’d asked Merlin to start taking care of his responsibilities, but quickly learned that his council had yet to take Merlin very seriously – apparently, being the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth could be ignored when Merlin had spent years annoying the council while merely a servant. Even now, on the council, they hardly approved of him.

Thus, Merlin had the brilliant idea that Arthur should ‘send’ him on a diplomatic mission while instead, Merlin would simply impersonate Arthur until he was better.

The logistics of the plan had actually worked better than Arthur had anticipated; he got to stay in bed all day without being bothered for signatures or advice, and Gaius told him that not a single council member, or even the knights, could tell the difference.

Arthur knew Merlin was having the time of his life fooling the knights, so he didn’t complain.

Until, that was, Merlin came into his room _still_ looking like Arthur’s double and Arthur had to hide his face.

It was embarrassing, seeing what he looked like from someone else’s point of view, and it was disturbing to know that it was Merlin underneath his skin.

It would be unbearable if it were anyone else – but Merlin, at least, was Merlin, and there was nothing to hide from him. It would be pointless to try.

Arthur, sighing deeply with the effort of movement, situated his head in Merlin’s lap while Merlin stroked his too wet hair.

“Do you want a bath?” Merlin murmured to him, pulling at one of his ears. Arthur made a noise of disapproval.

“Getting cold again,” he muttered, reaching a hand to grasp at Merlin’s knee. “Body heat would be nice.”

Arthur let Merlin push him upwards as he climbed into bed, kicking Arthur’s boots off as he did. At least those fit properly – Arthur’s trousers and tunic were a little more problematic, but Merlin had already made fun of Arthur for that and they’d moved past it.

“Are you feeling any better?” Merlin asked as Arthur burrowed into Merlin’s side, beginning to shiver again. If it was just the shivering, he wouldn’t be worried, but the alternation was miserable.

“This morning, a little,” Arthur said. “Not so much now.”

Merlin pressed a kiss to Arthur’s temple and they laid in silence for a moment before a prodding in Arthur’s head made him ask “Did anyone find you out today?”

Merlin laughed, shaking his head. “No, not even a suspicious look. Messing with Gwaine was hilarious, though, he’s such a laugh.”

Arthur frowned; Gwaine was Merlin’s closest friend (besides Arthur, of course), and even he couldn’t tell that it was actually Merlin underneath Arthur’s clothes and skin. That didn’t seem natural.

“S’matter?” Merlin asked with a yawn, not sensing Arthur’s internal struggle.

“How can you imitate me so perfectly?”  Arthru asked. “You’re…you. I mean, you trip over your own feet and laugh at everything and aren’t even a little bit proper. How can no one tell that it isn’t me?”

“I know you better than I know myself,” Merlin said affectionately, nudging Arthur’s leg with his own. “I know what you sound like, how you move, the way you smile and frown…I know what you would say, how you would react, what questions you’d ask – I don’t know how to not know those things. It’s just instinctual.”

Arthur was quiet for a moment, and it was probably the illness that took down his boundaries and made him say “…I don’t think I could do it. Be you. I…you know me so well, and sometimes you’re still a mystery to me. I’ve known you forever, there’s no one I care for more…but I don’t think I know you as well as you know me. I’m sorry.”

Merlin’s hand lifted up Arthur’s chin, forcing Arthur to open his eyes to meet Merlin’s, which were as warm, affectionate, and laughter-filled as ever. “Arthur. You don’t honestly think that I believe you love me any less for that.”

“See?” Arthur said a little sulkily, pressing his head back onto Merlin’s chest. “You always know what I’m thinking. I still have to guess for you.”

“That’s because for my entire life, I’ve hidden the parts of myself that I don’t like, or don’t want, or that that Camelot doesn’t like or want,” Merlin said quietly, guiltily, after a moment. “You…you’ve always trusted me. I haven’t always trusted you. I think that’s the greater flaw here.”

“It’s not,” Arthur said firmly, meaningfully. “I was angry, but I know why you did it. I know. I don’t blame you for it.”

Merlin turned to kiss Arthur very, very gently.

“Hey,” he said as they broke apart. “We…we are meant for each other, Arthur. Absolutely. Our lives are most meaningful when we’re together. But that doesn’t mean…that we’re perfect people. That this isn’t going to be messy. Or difficult. But we try, right? Try to be better? Isn’t that the most important thing?”

“You’re…” Arthur couldn’t find the words to express his gratefulness for Merlin’s words, the love he had for him, how much he wanted to fix his shortcomings to be the kind of person who could imitate Merlin down to the letter because he knew him so completely. That’s what he wanted most. “I love you.”

Merlin smiled at him, and then suddenly transformed before Arthur’s eyes so that it was actually his own face that was smiling at him. Arthur pulled away from Merlin with a grimace and a shout.

“Gross, gross, gross,” he turned away and buried his head in the pillows on the other side of the bed, trying to ignore his own voice laughing at his misery and his own hands pulling at his own.

Though Arthur’s eyes were closed, he could tell when the hand on his own became Merlin’s once more and he turned back, glaring at Merlin’s impish grin but so glad that it was _Merlin’s._

“I take it back,” Arthur grumbled as Merlin laughed, pulling Arthur into his arms again. “This is the worst thing you’ve ever done, I swear.”

Arthur wondered if Merlin was going to pull this stunt again, perhaps in the middle of the night to surprise him, or if once this illness had blown over, if Merlin would go around impersonating him at the same time Arthur was trying to be himself, or if Merlin would start ordering the knights around as Arthur and they’d be confused about whose orders to follow and Gwaine would laugh uproariously and follow neither, just in case.

Arthur thought that if any of these predictions came true, he’d count it as a victory in knowing Merlin even more completely.

All of them, thankfully, or perhaps unthankfully depending on how he looked at it, ended up coming true. 


End file.
